


Love Letter in a Landfill

by foldingcranes



Series: All These Things I've Done [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Barebacking, Dry Humping, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Omnic Crisis, Oral Sex, Pining, Pre-Canon, Reaper76 Reverse Bang, Road Trips, SEP era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-02-01 15:21:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12707631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foldingcranes/pseuds/foldingcranes
Summary: These are the facts:Jack isshitat lying to Gabriel.He’s also stupidly in love with him.For the Reaper76 Reverse Bang.





	Love Letter in a Landfill

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Talli](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talli/gifts).



> This is the story I wrote for my friend [Talli](https://twitter.com/tallihoozoozo/)'s stunningly beautiful art for the Reaper76 Reverse Bang.
> 
> This is my first time finishing a work longer than 3.5k and I'm really excited about the end result! I want to mention that I couldn't have done it without the care and support of my loving friends at Discord (U KNOW WHO U GUYS ARE XOXO.)
> 
> I want to thank my amazingly talented friends [Ju](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stuffy_j/pseuds/stuffy_j), [Katie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DryDreams/pseuds/DryDreams) and [Gonzo](https://www.starsherit.tumblr.com/) for helping me with my silly mistakes and lousy grammar. Thank you guys, without you I wouldn't have done this. I mean it.

Jack is dreaming.

He’s dreaming about the sticky feeling of melted ice cream between his fingers and sweat clinging to the back of his neck. About fields of gold under the sun, legs dangling from a tree branch.

Jack dreams of being small again, scraped knees and bony elbows, the sugary smell of his aunt’s strawberry jam filling the air, making him thirsty. Throat filling with sandpaper.

He thinks he closes his eyes for a brief moment. When he opens them again, the warm colors of summer are gone and the first thing he’s able to see is the fluorescent white of the light from the infirmary’s ceiling. Blinded, Jack scrunches his nose in annoyance and raises a clumsy hand to drag it down his face, trying to shake off the heavy feeling of languidness that clouds his thoughts. His throat is dry, so dry it hurts to swallow and if he moves his eyes too fast a wave of dizziness takes hold of his body. So, he stays put until his mind feels clearer and he realizes there’s a weight on top of his left thigh, something like—

Oh. When he looks down and sees Gabriel’s sleeping there, head cushioned on his arms, all Jack’s stomach knows to do is somersault. Gabriel’s t-shirt’s wrinkly and he’s wearing the sweatpants he uses for sleeping when it’s too cold. that's how Jack knows that Gabe must have spent the entire night there and just crashed at his bedside.

Swallowing hard and heart beating a little bit too fast, Jack tries to keep it together before coughing and softly reaching for Gabriel’s shoulder so he can shake him awake. “Gabe,” he says, voice raspy with disuse. “Gabe, think of your poor fucking neck.”

“I’m not moving,” Gabriel slurs, slow with sleep. Jack allows himself the selfishness of gently running a hand down Gabe’s scalp before going back to shaking him awake again. “C’mon, look. I lived.”

“Stop bugging me, Morr—” after the second attempt to wake him up, Gabriel catches Jack’s hand by the wrist until he’s staring at it with a frown and eyes hooded with sleep. He blinks a couple of times, mouth falling slightly open as he stares at Jack’s hand and then at his smirking, tired face. “Holy fucking shit Jack, you’re _alive_.”

Probably without realizing, Gabriel grabs Jack’s hand, lacing their fingers together and gripping tight, his palm sweaty and warm against Jack’s own flushed skin. He’s still coming down from his previous fever’s haze and Gabriel’s touch is foreign but welcome, a gift so precious it makes Jack’s heart go even wilder, heart monitor beeping with more energy than before. Jack sends it a nervous glance and hopes that Gabriel doesn’t notice anything out of place or his excitement about holding hands with him.

“I’m sorry I woke you up,” Jack apologizes, voice still scratchy. With his free hand, Gabriel hands him a cup of water from the pitcher resting on top of the bedside table. Jack accepts the cup with a shaky hand and drinks the water greedily, the heat from his dream still clinging insistently to his mind. “But you were going to be sore if you kept resting like that.”

Gabriel snorts. “The last set of injections kept you out of commission for three days and you’re worrying about my sore muscles? Fucking hell, Jackie. You were delirious.”

“Eh,” Jack shrugs lightly, a small smile on his face. “Tis’ nothing but a scratch. I’m here now, aren’t I?”

Gabriel’s whole face softens, shoulders slumping with apparent relief. “Yeah. You are. I’m so glad you’re actually a nuclear cockroach incapable of dying.”

Chuckling, Jack drinks more water until his throat stops feeling so much like sandpaper. “That’s a really flattering way to describe me, I’m feeling really handsome right now.”

“Did I hurt your delicate sensibilities?” Gabriel’s crooked grin and his fussing make Jack’s stomach do weird, obnoxious fluttery things. He closes his eyes, willing his hormones to calm down, but almost jumps at the feeling of Gabriel’s warm palm resting on his forehead.

“I need to go now, Jackie,” Gabriel tells him gently. “Gotta go back to training before they kick my ass for sleeping here. They’ll probably release you today. Promise me you’ll be okay.”

“I will,” Jack promises, eyes still closed. A small smile on his face.

“Good,” he hears Gabriel say. “Oh, shit-- before I forget. Yeah, I’ll go with you. To Indiana, I mean.”

Jack opens his eyes again and blinks. “Indiana?”

“Yeah,” Gabriel smiles at him one last time, pulling his hand off Jack’s forehead and walking towards the door. “Can’t wait. Thanks for inviting me.”

Gabriel leaves the medbay humming some shit song and Jack gives himself approximately thirty seconds until he starts to panic.

He’s discharged from medical care later that day, legs wobbly and body still a little bit weak. Drags himself through the halls and accepts friendly pats from his fellow SEP soldiers, a ritual that Jack has dubbed as _congratulations on surviving_. By the time he reaches the quarters he shares with Gabriel, he’s desperate for a shower and for some time to think.

He strips on autopilot, head in any place but there in the room, thoughts going a mile a minute. Jack tries to recall the exact moment the fever got the best of him, tries to remember at which point he decided it would be a good idea to invite Gabriel on a trip to Indiana and how and _why_. Why would he expose himself so blatantly and risk everything he and Gabe _are_?

These are the facts:

Jack has known Gabriel since he was eighteen, fresh off of the farm and new and unprepared for basic. Gabriel was his commanding officer before joining SEP stripped them of rank.

Most importantly, Gabe has been his only real friend since he started his career in the military. Jack likes people. He likes listening to people talk, getting to know their inner worlds. He likes knowing what makes people tick, how their minds work.

But people can be exhausting. People can be too much, too overwhelming when combined with the white noise that lives inside his head and leaves him depleted of energy after dealing with people at parties and meals or any kind of social gathering.

Gabriel doesn’t tire him. He can talk for hours and Jack can listen endlessly to him, always safe in the knowledge that Gabriel won’t demand him to stop being quiet. He won’t coax words out of Jack, he will just let him _be_.

No one has given that to Jack before. The chance to just be himself. Gabriel doesn’t ask him to be someone different, he just—fits him, fits around Jack. Lets Jack fit around him too.

These are the facts:

Jack is shit at lying to Gabriel.

He’s also stupidly in love with him.

By the time he’s stepping into the shower, his chest is tight with anxiety, and he wonders if the nurse administered him his meds while he slept or if he took them before losing consciousness. He’s not actually sure anymore, doesn’t remember the last time he took his anxiety pills. The weight of his slip up sits heavily on his shoulders, threatening to pin him down as he tries to breathe without feeling like he’s drowning. There’s a stone lodged in the depths of his guts, the sinking feeling that there’s no turning back, that he’s fucked up too much this time. Gabriel will _know_.

Gabriel always fucking knows.

There’s no way Jack can hide what he feels forever, not when Gabriel can read him like an open book.

It was easy to fall in love with Gabriel. It was easy for Jack to raise his head and see him standing there, back in the first days of basic camp, back straight like iron and beautiful brown eyes full of determination.

Jack’s never known anyone like him.

Gabriel is hard and set on his ways, dutiful and generous. He pushes Jack to be better, pushes him to be faster and stronger. Pushes him out of wanting Jack to _live_.

Then, Gabriel offers his hand so Jack can stand up. And Jack takes it every single time.

He lets the water fall on him until he calms down, counts from ten to zero, takes deep breaths. Rests his forehead on the shower wall and wills the anxiety away, stubbornly refusing to let it take hold of him. It works, warmth washing over him until he feels strong enough to finish getting himself clean and steps out of the shower. He puts on his SEP uniform and a regulation hoodie, faceplanting into his bed and staring pointedly at the wall.

At some point, he’s aware of Gabriel entering their room, his loud steps breaking the silence in the room. “Jackie?”

Jack winces, burrowing his face in the pillow, trying his hardest to pretend he’s asleep. He hopes he’s convincing enough, but Gabriel calls his name at least twice before giving up and leaving. Guilt tugs at Jack, stomach doing uneasy flips. He doesn’t think he can let his friend _see_ him today. Not while he’s freaking out.

_Would it be so bad?_ Jack asks himself. _Would it be so bad to take him home?_

He imagines Gabriel there, standing between the stalks of corn. Jack imagines him playing with the dog or climbing the tree Jack used to climb when he was little and needed to hide from a world that was too loud for him.

Lastly, Jack wonders if Gabriel would really want to see all of that. All of _him_.

He doesn’t want to know the answer.

He avoids Gabriel for the rest of the day. Skips dinner to hole himself up in their room and think of whatever the hell he can do to keep himself under wraps when he gets to share his leave with Gabriel. Drifts into an uneasy sleep that has him rolling on his bed, cranky and tired, mad at himself for being so careless.

The next morning, Gabriel won’t stop looking at him with worry and a little bit of annoyance. Jack is snappy and quiet at breakfast, and stays focused and isolated during training. By lunchtime, he’s too keyed up to care if Gabriel’s going to be there. He guesses he’ll have to deal with Jack’s own silent mood and sulking as he sits in his usual spot next to Gabriel, and he picks at his food while Gabriel throws him sideways glances. “What’s wrong with you?” Gabriel asks.

Jack gulps. “About Indiana--”

Gabriel raises an eyebrow. “Yes?”

He’s about to speak again when the rest of the guys that usually sit at their table arrive and take their usual places. They joke around, already in the middle of a conversation about video games, and pull Gabriel into it as they eat, while Jack goes back to picking at his food.

He only starts paying attention when Salgado, the one sitting in front of them, asks Gabriel about leave.

“So,” she asks, mouth stuffed with food and making her look like a chipmunk. “You going back to California, Reyes? Going back to the sun and the shore?”

“Maybe,” Gabriel teases, shrugging in a disinterested motion. It’s a rehearsed gesture, Jack knows it well by now.

“Oh?” Salgado continues asking, once she swallows her food. “You sound awfully indifferent. That’s a shame for whoever you have as your special someone,” she winks.

And Gabriel-- Gabriel just laughs. “We’ll see about that.”

Jack’s feels his own stomach drop. Not even grabbing his tray, he stands up without a word, ready to bolt out of there.

“Jack.” Gabriel’s firm voice stops him from leaving the mess hall. “Come with me. We need to talk.”

Well, if that doesn’t sound kind of ominous.

Jack swallows, palms already a bit sweaty. He wipes them on the sides of his pants and nods as he follows Gabriel out of the main building. Outside in the backyard, the trees and bushes have been bare for a good while and the whole place is littered with brown leaves that they’ll probably have to rake soon. Jack leans against a tree, looking for support as Gabriel focuses his entirely too serious face on him.

“So?” he asks, watching carefully as Gabriel crosses his arms. He looks…upset, and a small knot forms inside Jack’s stomach.

“I want to know what’s the deal with you,” Gabriel inquires. “Jack, you’ve been avoiding me since you left the medbay.”

“That’s not—”

“You know it’s true,” Gabriel interrupts him, tone already snappish. “You’ve been avoiding me and I want to know why. We’re supposed to be partners. We’re in this together. What did I do that made you feel like you have to keep things from me?”

Gabriel’s voice is pained at the end, eyes sad and concerned. His jaw is clenching with that all too familiar anger that takes hold over him when things are out of his control and right now Jack is a mystery for Gabriel. Jack has turned into a puzzle for him on _purpose_.

“It’s nothing you did,” Jack grits his teeth, face flushed. “I just—I realized that I imposed myself on you. Back at the medbay, I mean. When I was delirious.”

Gabriel’s brows are furrowed with confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t have to come to Indiana with me,” Jack blurts. “I don’t want you to feel obligated just because I said stupid shit while dealing with the injection or because you thought I was going to make you, or...look. I don’t want to force you—it’s the first leave we've gotten in a year and I want you to do something that makes you,” he gulps. “Happy.”

They stay silent for a long, painful moment after Jack’s done saying his piece. Gabriel’s arms drop to his side and then he’s looking at Jack sadly. There’s something like disappointment etched on his face.

“So you don’t want me to go with you.”

“No!” Jack exclaims immediately. “No, that’s not what I meant at all!”

“Then what did you mean, Jack?” Gabriel scoffs. “Why are you saying all of this shit to me? Just tell me you didn’t mean it and you’re regretting it so I can go pack for California instead of Indiana.”

“You aren’t _getting it_!” Jack runs a hand through his hair, fingers slightly pulling at the strands in a common gesture of frustration. “Back at lunch… Salgado asked you if you had someone to go home to.”

“Well,” Gabriel raises an eyebrow, annoyed. “My whole family is there, you know that shit.”

“I know that,” he snaps back. “You know what I’m actually talking about, don’t make it difficult for me.”

Gabriel snorts, looking incredulous. “ _Me_ , making things difficult for _you_? Pot, kettle?”

“All right,” Jack bites back a groan. “Alright, fuck. Let me be clear. It occurred to me that I didn’t consider that you could have a _special_ someone waiting for you back at home.”

“I’m not understanding where this train of thought is coming from,” Gabriel argues, looking even more worked up. “Why? Why would you think that? Why would that hold you back from inviting me?”

 _Are you really that dense or are you playing me?_ Jack thinks. Doesn’t dare ask. He doesn’t think Gabriel would mock him, but the risk is too high and driving him away isn’t a possibility. Still, Jack can’t stand the thought of Gabriel thinking he doesn’t want him in any sense.

“Just tell me the truth, okay,” Gabriel sighs, more tired than angry. “Man up and tell me you’re backpedalling and cut out this shit, it’s way too kindergarten for us.”

“Gabe,” Jack licks his lower lip. “You don’t get it.”

“Get _what_!?”

This is not the first time Jack’s wondered about what it means to be brave. Was joining the military at eighteen an act of bravery or just him feeding his own wanderlust? Was following Gabriel to SEP him wanting to be better for his country or just him being selfish? There’s no honest answer here. It’s an open question. Jack won’t ever know what people see in him that makes them think he’s not a coward. But if someone ever asks for just one moment, one little moment in which Jack thought of himself as brave then this is it.

This is the exact moment.

Jack straightens his back and reaches for Gabriel, resting a hand on the back of his neck and forcing him to move closer. He tilts his head to the side, eyes fixed on Gabriel’s lips until he’s kissing the corner of his mouth softly, just a gentle press of his lips there until whatever is happening really _sinks_ in Jack’s mind and he’s pulling away, panicked.

“Fuck, Gabe, I went too far, I’m sorry—”

“Shut up,” Gabriel rasps, mimicking Jack’s earlier gesture and pulling him in by the back of his neck. He kisses Jack full on the lips, warm and fiercer than it has any right to be and when Jack kisses back he makes sure Gabriel knows what it’s like to want him, how it’s like—

It’s Jack’s chest split with fireworks, heart bare in his hands, fingers spread in a single offer. _Here_ , Jack thinks, heart soaring and beating too fast and too big. _Take it all. This is all I have_.

[X](https://i.imgur.com/cAHzqhS.png)

“This is really happening,” he gasps, filled with wonder. “I can’t believe this is finally happening.”

He feels giddy with excitement, legs shaking and hands trembling. Everything about Gabriel feels wild and new, like the whole world has been turned upside down.

“It’s happening,” Gabriel whispers. “Trust me.” 

He fists the back of Gabriel’s shirt as Gabriel holds him by the waist and they kiss until they’re panting for air, chasing each other’s lips in smaller, shorter kisses. “Someone could see,” Jack moans, Gabriel sucking at his lower lip with enthusiasm and letting out a tiny chuckle. His grip on Jack’s waist is tight and there’s no space between them, bodies pressed too close, enough so Jack can grind against Gabriel and swallow his gasps with his mouth.

“I don’t care,” Gabriel laughs, tips his head lower so he can kiss Jack’s jaw, kiss the exposed line of his neck when Jack throws his head back, almost hitting it against the trunk of the tree. “You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting this, wanting _you_.”

“I have,” Jack smiles, tracing the scars on Gabriel’s cheek with a wandering hand. “I was— I was too afraid of taking the leap and losing your friendship—”

“You fucking idiot,” Gabriel kisses Jack’s nose. His cheeks. His forehead. “Like I would ever let that happen.”

He grabs Jack by the hips, pressing their groins together. Jack rolls his hips experimentally, eyes wide open with wonder, gaze fixed on Gabriel’s beautiful face.

There’s a beat of silence. Neither of them dares to look away.

“Does this mean you are coming home with me?”

Gabriel kisses him again.

-

“Okay,” Jack says, tilting his head to the side. “Let me see if I understand…you made me pull over knowing there are like…four hours of travel ahead of us so you could show me…this?”

“What,” Gabriel tries to keep a stern face, but the twinkle in his eyes indicates that he’s clearly fighting back laughter. “You didn’t want to see the world’s largest carved wooden figure of corn? You really think you could live without seeing this thing of beauty?”

“First of all, yes. Second of all, um, yes?” Jack rolls his eyes, looking amused. They’re sitting on a bench in front of the area that surrounds the attraction, tourists coming and going as they use their break to eat lunch. “I know exactly why you decided we should stop in the middle of Ohio to see this.”

“Oh, and why is that?” Gabriel’s throws him a smug smile as he finishes chewing his sandwich, just in time for Jack to shut him up by stuffing his mouth with a couple of cherry tomatoes. “Mmmpffh!!!”

Jack pats his cheek and lets him choke a little before giving him a couple of good slaps on the back. “It looks like a fucking dildo and you know it, you literal five years old.”

He doesn’t think Jack needs to know he spent almost an entire afternoon researching roadside attractions to annoy him with until he found the suspiciously dildo-shaped wooden corn figure and thought _I need to show Jack this_. Gabriel laughs and grabs him by the waist, having finished his lunch already, and pulls him closer. Kisses the smile on Jack’s face as he loops his freckled arms around Gabe’s neck. It starts innocently enough, just lips moving together and little, playful nips. Until Jack’s lips part with a sigh and Gabriel sneaks his tongue in, looking for Jack’s until they’re french kissing in front of entire families of travelers and scarring their kids forever.

Someone coughs loudly near them.

Maybe they should tone down the PDA.

But it’s hard to tell himself to slow down and be calmer when he has found an oasis of happiness in the middle of hell. Gabriel’s no fool: training’s been rougher and more intense the last couple of weeks, and more and more omniums are appearing. A war is starting and him and Jack are more than soldiers: they are weapons designed to fight and win, to tear down metal and endure brutal injury.

Absentmindedly, Gabriel rubs the spot of the last injection. The one that took Jack out of commission for days. The ghost of pain is always there, lurking under his skin, reminding him of months of fevers, retching, sore muscles and other aches. Jack seems to notice, putting a hand over his silently.

For someone who’s so good at reading people and comforting, Jack can be very quiet. He opens that mouth of his only to be cheeky. He rests his head on top of Gabriel’s shoulder and it feels like enough, because Jack also is, surprisingly, a very tactile person. Someone who says a lot with small, physical gestures. Gabriel remembers one round of SEP that managed to fuck him up harder than Jack, remembers lying in bed crying and clawing at the sheet with muscle pain and Jack cradling him in his lap and rubbing his back all night, helping him endure the soreness.

When he looks back, they were kind of obvious.

“C’mon,” Jack’s voice snaps him out of his thoughts, his hand grabbing one of Gabriel’s to help him stand. “You got what you wanted. I saw the giant dildo, now it’s time for us to get going.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he chuckles, accepting Jack’s offer and walking hand in hand with him, chest brimming with affection. They look like any other couple. “You’re the boss.”

“Good of you to recognize it,” Jack answers smugly. “Now get in the car and go back to being the terrible backseat driver that you are.”

“I’m not a backseat driver!”

Jack side eyes him.

-

They drive for five more hours from their base in West Virginia, following interstate 77 before connecting with I-70 and finally reaching Indiana by the west. They arrive in Bloomington by the evening and it takes them a little bit more time to reach the outskirts of the city due to traffic. Gabriel stays awake the whole time, making sure Jack doesn’t make them listen to corny country songs and sharing snacks with him so he doesn’t get bored with driving. It’s the most fun they have had in months.

Gabriel watches the trees out of the window, the plain landscape becoming dull after a couple of minutes. But time flies when he’s with Jack and soon they are nearing Jack’s ancestral home.

“Anything I should know?” he asks, just to be sure.

Eyes on the road, Jack chews on his bottom lip, clearly thinking. “Not really? Only people at the farm are my Aunts--they raised me. Laura’s my late father’s sister and Emma is her wife. They’re going to wake us up at the ass crack of dawn and make us work, so be prepared.”

“You talk like I wouldn’t be able to endure some farm work,” Gabriel frowns.

Jack chuckles. “I think it’s cute that you think you’re prepared for this, city boy.”

“Listen--”

“Oh, would you look at that?” Jack cuts him off gleefully. “We’re here!”

The farm is… well, as cliché as Gabriel pictured it. But not in a bad way: it’s a big, beautifully painted and maintained house, surrounded by a lot of space. He thinks he can see a barn somewhere close and, of course, a lot of corn. So much fucking corn. He’s not even surprised anymore.

“Hey,” Jack puts a hand on his shoulder, smiling. “Grab your bag, let’s get moving.”

As soon as they reach the house, what looks like a collie mutt runs to them and greets them, barking happily. Jack goes on his knees immediately, grinning like a fool. “Miss Marvel!” He laughs, as excited as the dog, and goes to hug her and carry her like she’s a baby and not full sized.

“Look Gabe, I can carry her like a puppy!” Jack shows him as Miss Marvel licks his chin lovingly, wagging her tail the entire time. Gabriel feels like he’s melting from the sweetness of the scene, dying to kiss that smile on Jack’s face. Even with dog drool.

Fuck, he’s got it bad.

“Hello boys!” A woman shows up on the porch, smiling while cleaning her hands with an old rag, face freckled and smudged with motor oil, dark blond hair unruly and wild. Jack puts the dog down and goes to hug her as soon as she’s near them, squeezing her between his arms until she’s laughing. “John, it’s nice to see you too, but you’re going to break my fucking ribs if you keep doing that!”

“Sorry Laura,” Jack lets go of her, face flushed. “Miscalculated my strength.”

“It’s okay,” she pats one of Jack’s meaty arms. “You’re a big boy now, from what I see.”

Then she’s looking at Gabriel, eyes crinkling with mischief. “Ooh,” she offers her hand to him and Gabriel accepts it. Her grip is strong and her handshake game is top notch. “This is the boyfriend! Hi, I’m Laura. I don’t know how an ugly duckling like Jack snatched you, but I guess you took pity on his terrible looks.”

“Thanks Laura,” Jack huffs, the flush on his face making his freckles stand out. Laura bursts out laughing and Gabriel already likes her.

“Well,” he answers her. “Someone had to take pity on Lobster Boy.”

Jack sends him a murderous glance.

This is going to be _fun_.

Laura guides them inside the house, chattering amicably. Gabriel gets to know her much better in impressively only about ten minutes: she’s been raising Jack since he was nine, she’s an engineer and her wife is a vet, she never thought she would find herself in charge of the family farm. Gabriel listens to her and regales her with tales of his own family while Jack dorks around the kitchen poking at sweets and other confections, and plays with the dog. Emma, Laura’s wife, joins them for dinner after arriving from work. And once they are stuffed with food and dozing off at the table, Laura tells Jack they’re free to go to bed.

“Okay,” Jack says, looking at Gabriel with suspicion. “We’re going to sleep in my old bedroom. You’re not allowed to make fun of me or I’ll kick you out and sleep with my dog instead.”

Gabriel raises his arms in a gesture of surrender. “I’ll do my best.”

Jack glares at him.

“Fine, I won’t make fun of you!”

The first thing Gabriel notices about Jack’s old bedroom are the posters of comic book characters littering the walls. There’s a bunch of superhero paraphernalia: figures, little trinkets, a bookcase filled with comic books and graphic novels. He snorts.

“Jackie, I knew you were a nerd but this is kind of. A lot.”

“Shut up,” Jack says, flustered. “There’s only one bed and I won’t hesitate to make you sleep on the floor if you make fun of me.”

“Aw, c’mon,” he hugs Jack from behind, encircling his waist. Jack leans back a little before getting himself out of the hug and going towards his dresser.

“I’m going to get some sleeping clothes,” Jack says. He puts on sweatpants and a Captain America shirt that… fits him really, really tight. He frowns at how stretched the material is as Gabriel sits on the bed and watches him from there, mouth suddenly dry.

“Jack.”

“What?”

“You look ridiculous,” he grins.

Jack sticks his tongue out at him. “Thanks, asshole.”

He goes to bed, sitting next to Gabe. When he’s about to reach for his meds on the bedside table, he pauses and picks up something else. “Hey, look,” Jack says as he puts on a pair of glasses. “My old glasses.”

Gabriel looks at him, incredulous. Pants suddenly tight. “You used to wear glasses?”

“Yeah, but I changed them for contact lenses when I joined the military and then SEP corrected my sight,” Jack explains. Then he pauses. “…you’re right. I must look like a nerd.”

Gabriel knows he must have a shit eating grin on his face, and couldn’t care less. He crawls on all fours towards Jack, until he’s on top of him. With a hand, he grabs the edge of Jack’s t shirt and pushes it up, uncovering his abs and chest. “You _do_ look like a nerd. But you’re the hottest nerd I’ve ever seen.”

“Yeah?” Jack looks heatedly up at him. Gabriel leans down to kiss him, glasses getting crooked along the way. He breaks the kiss and pecks Jack on the lips, then goes lower, until he’s facing Jack’s chest. He kisses him there, taking one of his nipples in his mouth, sucking and biting, grabbing Jack’s other pec and _squeezing_ until he can hear Jack panting.

Gabriel sucks on the skin until he’s sure he’ll be leaving bruises, then goes and does the same to Jack’s other nipple. Jack’s soft moans only make him try harder to drive him to the edge and once he’s done showering Jack’s chest with love, he lets him pull him into a kiss and grinds his body against his. He guesses you’re never too old for some good old frottage. Still, there’s something about being with Jack that makes Gabriel feel like a teenager again.

He ends up coming in his pants, Jack pushing down his own to avoid making the same mistake.

“Damn,” Gabriel sighs, body pleasantly relaxed after his orgasm, the hours on the road suddenly hitting him all at once. “That’s all I can do today.”

Jack smiles cockily. “I’ll get you some clothes.”

-

The next morning, Gabriel wakes up to Indiana’s autumn chill, alone in bed and covered in extra blankets. He guesses Jack must have realized during the night that he isn’t really a fan of the cold. He gets up, yawning, stretching like a cat on the edge of the bed and grabs one of the sweaters he brought with him. When he goes down to the kitchen for breakfast, Jack is already properly dressed, making pancakes with Emma while Laura sits at the kitchen table and reads the news on her tablet.

It’s all sweetly domestic and Gabriel smiles, thinking of his own family back at home, of his parents bantering as they cook and his siblings making a ruckus while setting the table. Gabriel misses them terribly, but he’s really glad he got the chance to come and see this part of Jack. The life Jack used to have before they met.

(And it makes him think of him going home, holding Jack’s hand in his own and introducing him to his family.

He pictures Jack’s skin turning golden under California’s sun, tasting like saltwater.

Gabriel thinks of going back to the ocean and the sand, offering more pieces of himself to Jack.)

“Morning,” Jack smiles at him and Gabriel wonders if it’s okay to kiss him in front of his aunts. His question is answered when Jack kisses his temple as soon as Gabriel takes a place at the table, putting a plate of pancakes in front of him.

He could get used to this.

“So, city boy,” Jack sits in front of him. “I’ll be doing some chores today and you’re stuck with me, so I hope you’re well rested.”

Laura snorts. “Well, if you didn’t keep him up last night, I guess.”

Gabriel watches in delight as Jack’s smug expression disappears in a matter of seconds. The rest of their meal goes pleasantly and then everyone’s ready to leave for the start of their day.

Gabriel learns that farm work is even harder than it seems. Jack’s family farm is not that big, but still has some animals and some main crops. They clean the barn and feed the animals, and make sure everyone is doing okay. Gabriel asks Jack how he managed to do all of this while he was a teenager.

Jack laughs, petting one of the cows (the only one that didn’t try to kick Gabriel when he approached them). “Animals are easier than people.”

By afternoon, when they are mostly done with farm work, Jack takes Gabriel to see the cornfield so he can get the Authentic Indiana Experience. Fall makes everything brown around them, but the cornfield stands proud and tall, the only gold stain to be seen. The stalks are all close together, leaves long enough that they have to push their way through them to see properly. Jack grabs him by the hand and makes him walk with him through the stalks.  
Gabriel groans, body sore from carrying stupidly big bales of hay and armloads of firewood. The afternoon chill is taking over already, Gabriel’s clothes suddenly not enough for the level of cold.

“I hope you didn’t drag me here for more work,” Gabriel grumbles. Jack laughs at him, grabbing him by the waist to kiss him. His lips are a little dry thanks to the cold, but his skin is warm to the touch and Gabriel basks in it, getting lost in the kiss.

“Stop whining,” Jack presses against his lips. “Sit.”

“On the _dirt_?”

“ _Sit._.”

“Okay, okay,” Gabriel obeys, sitting on the cold soil and feeling annoyed at the smell of dirt. “Is this some kind of farm kink?” he asks.

Jack only smirks, choosing to settle himself between Gabriel’s legs. “I’m trying to reward you for your work and you are being very, very difficult.”

Jack kisses Gabriel’s neck, then goes lower and lower, until he’s mouthing at the front of Gabriel’s pants. He feels himself going hard in a matter of seconds as Jack paws at his zipper and gets his cock free.

“I’ve been good,” he breaths, cock twitching at the sight of Jack’s face between his legs. “Just ask the cows.”

“Oh, I’ve heard all kinds of recommendations from them.”

“…That’s kind of weird,” Gabriel chuckles. Jack seems to realize what he just said and shakes his head, holding back laughter. Then he’s looking up at Gabriel, all kinds of wonder in his eyes, and he’s kissing the tip of Gabriel’s cock and licking the underside of his length, smug smirk back on his face. “ _Fuck_ ,” Gabriel moans.

“You like this?” Jack asks, then moves onto taking all of him inside his mouth and hollowing his cheeks, sucking with enthusiasm. Gabriel throws his head back in a silent moan, digging his fingers into the dirt, grounding himself in the wet and cold texture. Jack bobs his head up and down Gabriel’s cock, a defiant look in his eyes and the upward curve of his lips fixed in a permanent smile. He’s enjoying himself almost as much as Gabriel is, making humming noises around his cock, swallowing it completely until he should be choking on it.

He’s not choking.

Gabriel can’t believe this shit.

He comes down Jack’s throat with a groan, panting and shaking, wordlessly watching as Jack swallows all of his come and licks his lips with a shit eating grin.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Jack jokes.

Gabriel thinks he left his brain back at base.

-

Jack takes him to an apple orchard on his fucking tractor.

“Actually,” Jack corrects him. “It’s Laura’s tractor. We are just _borrowing_.”

“You drive like an animal,” Gabriel complains, walking alongside Jack towards the open barn. Everything is covered in brown, leaves making crunching noises under their boots. Jack stops him to fix a scarf around his neck. “Are you fussing?” Gabe asks, amused.

“You were freezing yesterday,” Jack cocks his eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, because you sucked my dick in a cornfield.”

“If you keep complaining about it I’m going to start thinking you weren’t satisfied with my dick sucking skills,” Jack retorts petulantly. Gabriel rolls his eyes, getting the baskets out of the trunk and handing Jack one.

“How many apples does Emma want?”

“A lot,” Jack hums, looking at his surroundings, apples already strewn everywhere. “She wants to bake a lot of pies and make cider, so. She’ll need a big stock.”

“You’ve done this before?”

“Yeah, I’ve been coming to the same apple orchard since Laura came to take care of me,” Jack points at a big tree a few meter from them, near the barn. “See that one? That’s where I kissed my first boy. I was twelve.”

“No way,” Gabriel scoffs. “Did you carve your initials in it?”

Jack coughs, flushed. “Maybe.”

“I’ll fucking fight him,” Gabriel grumbles. Jack laughs, patting him on the shoulder. He kisses his chin before starting to walk again.

“I’m sure wherever David is, he must be cowering in fear. Now follow me, you big lug. We’ve got work to do.”

“Sure, sure,” he replies, picking his own basket again. “Tell me I kiss better than him.”

“My dog is better at kissing than you, Gabe.”

“ _Wow._ ” Gabriel gasps, mock offended. He grabs Jack by the waist, pulling him flush against him and then cornering him against a tree. “You don’t like how I kiss?”

“I think I could be persuaded,” Jack smiles, nose bright red thanks to the cold. “C’mon, show me you’ve improved.”

Jack’s eyes flutter closed and Gabriel grabs him by the chin, leaning into him so he can kiss him softly, licking and nipping at his lips. It starts slow and leisurely paced, without any rush. Like they have all the time in the world.

And it feels like they do. Gabriel cradles Jack’s face between his hands and kisses him more fiercely, tricking himself into thinking that this moment is timeless. Making himself forget all the time he wasted not kissing Jack since the moment they exchanged looks and decided they wanted each other.

They end up going back home with two baskets filled with apples, to Emma’s delight. She drags them to the kitchen, Miss Marvel barking behind them and trying to get Jack to sneak her an apple slice. Thrilled at their current stock of apples, Emma gets all the ingredients they need and puts them on the table.

“Do you know how to bake, Gabriel?” she asks, excited. Jack snorts from his place at the table, where he is already peeling apples.

“Uh…” Gabriel scratches at his own head. “Not really.”

“That’s okay,” Emma laughs. “There’s always a first time for everything. I taught Jack how to bake when he was a teenager and he hasn’t caused any fires yet so I guess I was successful!”

Jack snickers. “Thank you for having so much faith in me, Emma. I’m sure Gabriel will be a fine student.”

He isn’t. There’s a reason his grandma and his parents have always kept him out of the kitchen and it’s because Gabriel gets bored and distracted and ends up fucking up. Like measuring flour wrong and getting it all over the floor, until he’s covered in white and looking like a ghost as Jack cackles at him.

Deeply offended and hell bent on recovering his honor, he grabs a fistful of flour and throws it at Jack, who chokes on it and starts sneezing.

“You’re going to regret this,” Jack says as soon as he can breathe again, grabbing his own fistful of flour and throwing it back at Gabriel.

By the time Laura gets home, there are at least ten pies out of the oven and everything is covered in white.

-

Gabriel wakes up half hard.

It’s fuck o’clock in the morning; the sky is purple but the sun isn’t quite out yet. He thinks he can hear birds chirping in the distance but he’s too distracted by Jack’s loud snoring and the way they fit so good together in Jack’s small childhood bed. Rain is starting to fall outside, tiny droplets that fall harder by the minute. But it’s impossible to feel cold, pressed as he is up against Jack, his naked chest comfortably snug against Jack’s broad back as he rests his hands on Jack’s pecs, holding him. He buries his nose in the back of Jack’s neck, leaving a soft kiss between his shoulders and groans a little when Jack shifts against him. His dick is currently nestled in the cleft of Jack’s ass, aching with interest. Unfortunately he’s trapped between Jack’s body and the wall and he doesn’t think there’s a way he can get up without waking Jack and asking him to move.

He thinks he’s been doomed to Death By Blue Balls when Jack softly stops snoring and stirs slowly in front of him, rubbing himself clumsily against Gabe’s crotch. _Oh_ , Gabriel thinks, _thank fucking God._

“Someone’s up.” Jack’s voice is raspy with sleep, deeper than usual from snoring. Gabriel can’t see his face but it sounds like Jack is smiling as he grinds himself against Gabriel’s hard dick again. He turns his head and Gabriel leans closer so he can meet Jack halfway and kiss him lazily.

“Morning. You smell like apples,” Gabriel sniffs him as Jack leaves his lips to kiss his nose, grinning. “How many pies did we end up baking yesterday?”

“Too many fucking pies, that’s the number,” Jack hums with his eyes closed, still trying to join the land of the living. “I ate so much, I couldn’t move afterwards.”

“Yeah,” Gabriel thinks of how they immediately got into bed after dinner without even trying to paw at each other and still can’t believe it. “You seem okay to me now, though.”

He moves his hand from Jack’s right pec to the front of his pajama bottoms, palming his dick through the clothes. As he suspected, Jack is as hard as him and the thought only inspires Gabriel more. Jack kisses his jaw sweetly, the fruity smell of apple and his aftershave clinging to Gabriel’s skin. “Mmm,” Jack makes a pleased noise. “Keep doing that.”

Gabriel squeezes Jack’s dick gently, feeling it throb under the soft fabric of the pants as Jack’s eyelids flutter and he moans with barely parted lips, making the softest noise possible. It goes straight to his dick and Gabriel feels himself hardening even more as Jack pushes off his pants and boxers. “Don’t think I can’t feel you,” he says.

Fumbling, Jack reaches for the bedside table and grabs the small bag he left there some days ago when they arrived, retrieving a bottle of what Gabe figures is lube. “Get rid of your pants.”

“Oohh, bossy,” Gabriel teases.

Jack throws him a _look_.

He goes back to Gabriel’s arms so they are spooning again, then hands him the uncapped bottle of lube. “Get between my legs.”

Gabriel’s breath hitches at Jack’s orders and he’s quick to do as he’s told. He strokes his dick, coating it with lube until it’s slick and then lines himself between Jack’s legs, pushing in and groaning with relief. Jack’s thighs are pressed together as tightly as they can be and Gabriel keeps going until the head of his cock is rubbing the back of Jack’s balls and the base of his cock, both of them groaning at how good it feels to touch each other like this. “Fuck, this is—”

“Nice?” Jack laughs, breathless. He raises an arm and cups Gabriel’s cheek, twisting a little to look at him. “Really fucking awesome?”

“Really fucking awesome falls short,” Gabriel holds him, hands firmly placed on Jack’s pecs, the same way he woke up. He starts to thrust, hips pumping in regular movements while Jack’s legs tremble with the effort to stay together and hold Gabriel close to him. They are gasping and moaning and writhing against each other and Jack has to bite his own fist when Gabriel pulls and twists one of his nipples, cupping and squeezing his pec. He quiets his own noises by pressing his face against Jack’s shoulder as he fucks between his thighs.

“Next time we do this…” Jack mutters between little gasps and moans, “I want to fuck your thighs, I—I love your thighs.”

“You sure you don’t want to do it now?” Gabriel asks, half amused, half serious. He has no problem with trying it a different way, even if he’s currently so into what they’re doing he’s struggling with the effort not to come. Jack turns again, eyes dark with want and bottom lip red from biting it. “No, after this I want…”

Gabriel thrusts really, really slow. Stays as close to Jack’s body as absolutely possible. Tries his hardest to eliminate any space that could exist between them. “You want?”

“Gabe,” Jack’s eyelids flutter closed and then they are kissing, soft and open mouthed, bodies still. “I want you to fuck me.”

Gabe comes right there between Jack’s legs.

His orgasm catches him by surprise—it’s not an explosive thing, it’s like being hit by a wave that he wasn’t expecting at all, and Gabriel needs a minute to collect himself and his thoughts, to catch his breathing and still the shivers that run through his body. Jack is laughing at him, strong thighs covered in come. He turns so he’s lying face to face with Gabe. “Hi,” he smiles, eyes crinkled at the corners as he rubs his nose against Gabe’s and then kisses the corner of his lips. “You look droopy.”

“I feel droopy.” Gabe blinks. “You still need to come.”

Jack snorts. “I’m sorry to inform you, Reyes, sir, but this isn’t a competition.”

Resting his palm against Jack’s chest, fingers spread over the soft hair there, Gabriel sinks a little lower and kisses Jack’s chin. Sucks a little there, leaving a tiny bruise. It’ll disappear in a matter of seconds.

“You want me to fuck you.”

“Well, yeah. That’s what I asked,” Jack looks down to him, face still a little flushed, bedhead making his hair look messy, blonde tufts sticking out everywhere, bits of it sweaty and glued to his forehead. He lets out a quiet sigh when Gabriel continues to go lower and sucks on one of his nipples, eyes always fixed on Jack’s face.

“Do you have any condoms, Boyscout?” He smiles at Jack, tongue circling the nipple. Gabriel feels a delighted sense of satisfaction as he watches Jack be torn between laughing and writhing.

“Actually…” Jack runs a hand down his scalp in such a gentle, delicate way that it prompts Gabe to stop teasing him, encircling Jack’s trim waist with his arms as he listens with more attention. “I don’t know how to say this but-- I’m clean, you’re clean. We both know we’re clean. We’ll probably be always clean thanks to SEP?”

Gabriel rubs a soothing hand up and down Jack’s back. He’s pretty sure he’s smiling like a fucking idiot, and he feels a little bad for taking his time to answer and letting Jack fumble like a fool, but the fluttering in his stomach and the quickening of his heart are two things he’s enjoying like never before.

Here’s the thing about being with Jack: it’s new and shiny, yes, but Gabe’s pretty sure that feeling of newness could last fucking forever because no one outside his family has managed to make him feel as special and cherished as Jack does. He’s not even sure if someone else will ever achieve that again. And he doesn’t want to find out.

He wonders if it’s too soon to tell Jack he wants _forever_.

“Okay,” Gabriel grabs Jack’s hand and kisses his knuckles and then the side of his palm. “Okay, we’re good to go. You don’t have to be nervous, Jackie-- well, maybe just a little. I’m nervous too.”

Jack smiles crookedly. “Yeah? You done this before too?”

“I have, but...” Gabriel licks his lips and lifts his body a little so he’s back at eye level with Jack. He runs a hand through Jack’s disastrous hair and then cradles his cheek, thumbing his cheekbone. Jack’s piercing gaze is steady on him the whole time. “I feel like this is going to be different.”

“Why?” Jack asks, brows furrowed together in concern. Gabe leans to kiss him between the eyes, willing the worry away.

“Because I’m with you.”

Jack’s eyes go really, really wide, a loopy smile taking over his whole face and Gabriel feels like he’s played himself, because he swears the way Jack’s looking at him could be the secret to endless energy. He rolls Jack over by placing a hand on his hip and runs his fingers up the inside of his thigh. Jack shudders, still smiling, and spreads his legs for him.

And _holy shit_ , isn’t that a sight?

Jack’s cocky smile as he beckons for him to come closer will be forever engraved in Gabe’s memory as he leans down to kiss him. Their noses bump and Jack laughs, tilting his head a little to the side so they can kiss properly this time until Gabe lets out a soft gasp and parts his lips, letting Jack’s tongue in. It’s a slow, sweet kiss and it helps calm the excitement that has taken over both of them. Gabe’s hand, formerly splayed on Jack’s chest, goes down until grazing the tip of his erection and then strokes Jack teasingly, just testing the waters. He moans a little, eyes closing as they kiss and Gabriel keeps going until he’s panting and squirming happily and his own cock is starting to twitch with interest again.

“Excited?” he asks, curling his fingers around Jack’s hard length. Jack’s flushed face turns to the side, towards the window. There’s more sunlight now and soon Jack’s aunts will be awake, so they’ll have to keep it quiet.

“In more ways than one,” Jack laughs, one of his hands clutching Gabriel’s bicep as Gabe jerks him off. Gabriel grabs the lube with his free hand and coats his fingers with it, taking the time to warm it up, enjoying how Jack watches his every move with a permanent spark of interest in his eyes. He slips his hand between Jack’s legs and presses against his entrance until he’s slipping one of his fingers inside. Jack sucks in a breath and looks at him through hooded eyes, nudging at Gabriel with a slight movement of his leg. Gabriel grabs one of his thighs and lifts it, pressing a kiss to the inside of it. “Good?”

“Yeah,” Jack breaths. “Keep going?”

Gabriel keeps Jack’s leg raised, fascinated at how Jack’s whole chest flushes with arousal. He moves his finger shallowly first, then adds another when he notices Jack’s breathing quickening. “Still good?” Jack nods, head slightly tilted to the side. Gabriel keeps going, pushing and pulling, until he’s two knuckles deep inside Jack and curling up his fingers to graze his prostate. Jack’s lips part with a small moan and he’s clutching at the sheets, trying his best to not make any more noise than that. His chest rises and falls as he makes Gabriel let go of his leg and grabs that hand to guide it towards his own pec, making Gabriel squeeze it.

“You’re so fucking bossy,” Gabriel grins happily, fingers rocking into Jack steadily. “I love it.”

“Well then,” Jack laughs breathily. “I want more. I want more of you.”

“Now you’re just being greedy.” Gabe pulls his fingers out and adds a third one, enjoying how Jack’s breathy snickering turns into straight moaning. Gabriel crooks his fingers in a come hither motion and rests his free hand on top of Jack’s abs, stroking the taut skin there, looking in awe as Jack presses down against his hand, chasing the feeling of fullness.

“I love how much you love this,” he says, earnest. Too earnest. He can feel his face heating up and Jack’s answering flirty look becomes too much to handle. He averts his gaze, focuses on how stretched Jack already feels around his fingers. His other hand leaves Jack’s stomach and goes to stroke his hard cock, letting Jack fuck his fist, thrusting into it a couple of times as Gabe hits that right spot inside of him. Jack comes with a soft sigh, come coating the flushed skin of his abs and Gabriel leans down to press a short kiss against his lips as he pulls his fingers out.

“Gabe,” Jack calls to him, deep voice even deeper with want. “ _Please_ ,” he begs softly. “I want you.”

“You just came, Jackie.”

“I don’t care. Just-- _please_.”

“Okay,” Gabriel breaths deeply, “Okay, but you need to stop asking like that or this is going to be really short.” He makes himself comfortable between Jack’s legs, picking up the lube once again and coating his own cock with it, until he’s all nice and slick. Holding his cock in his hand, he lines himself up until he’s slowly pushing into Jack, sinking into him in one swift motion until he’s hilted deep inside him, bodies finally joined and pulsing together. Gabriel grabs Jack’s thighs, fingers pressing into his flesh hard enough to bruise and Jack’s laughing again, face and chest flushed, holding onto Gabriel’s biceps with a vice grip and looking at him with pure, unadulterated _wonder_.

“You feel good,” Jack whispers, voice hoarse with need. “You fit me so well.”

Gabriel feels--

He feels out of words, buried deep inside Jack’s body. He wants to stay there, surrounded by Jack’s warmth, wants to keep it locked forever in some corner of his heart and take this memory of Jack with him to wherever the war they’re about to fight takes them.

Soon he’s thrusting into Jack, rocking into his body deep and slow, getting to know every inch of him and memorizing it for later, rejoicing at the fact that there’s going to be more chances-- that this is the first time he’s gotten to love someone like this, so deeply, inside and out. Jack is a window that keeps opening for him.

For _him_.

Jack’s getting hard again, moaning and arching his back under him, taking all Gabriel wants to give him. It’s good. It’s perfect. It’s better than anything he could have imagined as he folds Jack in half and fucks him harder, listening to Jack ask for _more_ between soft little sounds. He clenches around Gabriel with a needy gasp, tight and hot, and Gabriel almost comes right there.

“Wait,” Gabriel groans. “Don’t want it to be over yet.”

“Gabe,” Jack pushes himself into a sitting position, Gabe’s cock slipping out of him. He pushes gently with a hand on top of Gabriel’s chest until Gabe’s laying on his back and Jack’s straddling him. Then he sinks back down and Gabe sucks in a sharp breath. “Like this.”

Gabriel is the one arching his back now, holding onto Jack’s hips as Jack finishes sinking onto his cock. “You gonna ride me?”

Jack has a shit eating grin on his face. “Just lay back and think of America.”

Then he puts his hands on Gabriel’s chest and fucking _bounces on his cock_. Gabriel is robbed of breath as Jack goes up and down on his cock, the strong muscles of his legs straining with effort, Jack’s flushed face and dark eyes fixed on him and him _only_ as his thighs quiver with the effort not to come. He’s spellbound.

He’s so fucking in love he can’t breath, and his eyes feel wet with tears.

“Ssh,” Jack leans down onto him and gently wipes the wetness away from Gabe’s eyes. “You’re doing so good, Gabe. I’m so happy to be with you. I’m so happy you’re the one inside me right now.”

Their foreheads touch and Gabriel chokes back a sob as he kisses Jack on the lips, slow and open mouthed, rolling his hips against him until Jack’s gasping into his mouth and clenching around his cock, another approaching orgasm making all of him shake. Gabriel watches in utter awe as Jack’s abs flex and tense and his cock twitches, body squeezing around Gabe’s cock until he’s coming dry. _Fuck_ , Gabriel thinks, _that’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen_.

[X](https://i.imgur.com/zVl5KFX.png)

It’s good. It’s perfect. It’s too much and not enough, all at once. Gabriel spills inside Jack, holding onto his body for dear life, glad to be breathless. Out of words and out of thoughts.

He just. _Feels_.

(So, so much love.)

Jack laughs into his neck, hiding his face there. “Good?” he asks and Gabriel can hear the glee in his voice, can feel Jack’s smile pressed against his skin.

He runs his fingers through Jack’s wet hair and kisses his sweaty temple.

“So fucking good, sunshine.”

There’s a beat of silence and then Jack’s tilting his head upwards to kiss him, body still visibly trembling. Gabriel meets him halfway.

“Wait,” he says, pulling away from the kiss. “Did I just make you dry orgasm?”

Jack snorts. “I’m pretty sure I made _myself_ dry orgasm.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Gabriel says, happiness blooming in his chest, still awed.

They smile at each other and stay in bed until one of Jack’s aunts is calling them to come down for breakfast and they remember they need to start packing.

-

They say goodbye to Jack’s aunts at noon with warm hugs and kisses and promises to come back. Gabriel throws one last look at the farm, thinks of everything he’s gained in the span of the last few days and smiles, grateful. Commits green pastures and gentle chattering and sweet strawberry jam to memory, thinking he’ll look back at this and feel like a nostalgic old fool, associating it with the first time Jack and he loved each other.

It’s Gabriel’s turn to drive. Jack falls asleep at his side and he decides to let him rest, feeling like the closer they get back to base, the realer things feel again. Like their days in Indiana are nothing but a well lived dream and there’s no going back to that. There’s no peace ahead of them, just-- war, the purpose for which they have been created.

Gabriel thinks of turning back. Thinks of making a u-turn and taking another road, getting the hell away from SEP and the war. Pictures himself waking Jack and telling him, let’s get the fuck away from here. _Let’s go anywhere, let’s run away together, let’s keep this forever._.

His hands on the steering wheel clench, knuckles going white. Life’s not that easy and there’s no future in running away. There’s no future for his family or Jack’s or the two of them. They will be the ones making their own future. If they live.

They have to _live_.

Gabriel decides to make a stop during the afternoon, not ready to go back to base yet. He shakes Jack awake with a couple of pats on his cheeks and a kiss. Drags him out of the car for some fresh air and pours them some coffee so they go back to functioning like normal human beings. Jack nuzzles into his shoulder again and Gabriel has to wake him two more times until he’s drinking his coffee without nodding off.

Parked at the side of the road and covered in wool sweaters they sit on the front of the car, in silence. The sun is beginning to set.

“Gabe.”

Jack is looking at the sunset, but Gabriel is looking at their hands, fingers laced together, until Jack speaks up again.

“When I look at you all I see is the future.” Eyes bright, Jack gifts him a small, honest smile. “And I want to grow old with you.”

Gabriel blinks. He thinks--he thinks he should be overwhelmed by this, by the intensity of Jack’s feelings, by everything going too fast. Instead he’s just humbled, his thumb tracing a line on the back of Jack’s hand.

“They’re giving me a squad, as soon as we get deployed,” he informs Jack. “They want me to pick the best. And I’m selfish, Jack. I’m selfish, because I want you with me. I want you to fight beside me.”

Jack leans over and kisses his cheek. “Take me with you. Let me follow you to hell and back.”

Gabriel turns his face and rests his forehead against Jack’s. Swears he feels the earth shake beneath his feet when he sees the affection on Jack’s face and wonders if he’ll ever stop feeling humbled by it. If he’ll be able to live up to the amount of pure faith Jack has in him.

(“Commander Reyes, what would you consider to be the most important moment of your entire career?”

And Gabriel is going to replace _career_ for _life_ in his mind, and look back to this exact moment. To the gentle press of Jack’s forehead against his and the softness in his eyes, and Gabriel will want to ask the interviewer, “Do you know what it feels like to be humbled by love?”

 _Because I do_ , he’ll think. _God knows I do_.

Jack’s love and faith will keep him going and moving forward in a world of warfare and violence. Jack’s trust in him will make him more than human, more than a weapon.

Undefeatable.)

“We need to go back,” Jack’s eyes are bright and young and hold too much hope for what is waiting for them back at base. Gabriel hopes they stay like that.

“In a bit,” he answers, holding him by the waist. “Let’s not rush it.”

Jack smiles at him, all freckles and sunshine and Gabriel understands how home can be a person and not a place. And he’s suddenly so, so thankful.

Because Gabriel is carrying home with _him_.

-

Baby, I have no idea how this will end  
Maybe the equator will fall like a hula hoop from the earth's hips  
And our mouths will freeze mid-kiss on our 80th anniversary  
Or maybe tomorrow, my absolute insanity  
Combined with the absolute obstacle course of your communication skills  
Will leave us  
Like a love letter  
In a landfill  
But whatever  
Whenever  
However this ends,  
I want you to know, that right now,  
I love you forever  
I love you for the hardest mile we walked together.

“How it Ends” - Andrea Gibson.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find and share Talli's beautiful art for this fic [here]()!
> 
> And you can find me on twitter as [@foldingcranes](https://twitter.com/foldingcranes/) and on tumblr as [@foldingcranes](http://foldingcranes.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> UPDATE: [Click here to see the cute sketches Talli has been adding!](https://twitter.com/tallihoozoozo/status/930108817815298048)


End file.
